Accessible,
Affordable Health Care – A Right, Not A
Privilege: How
Repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Threatens the Health and Economic
Security of Working Families The
report, Accessible,
Affordable Health Care – A
Right, Not A Privilege: How Repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
Threatens the Health and Economic Security of Working Families,
highlights ten of the most important ways the ACA has improved the
lives of hardworking Americans and their families. The report also
illustrates why efforts to repeal the ACA are dangerous for working
people. Democrats
in Congress remain committed to full implementation of the ACA and
have offered ways to improve the law, including increasing quality of
care and making health services even more affordable for America’s
working families. 1.
Strengthening Health Coverage Rights and Protections for Working
Families o
Under the ACA, working people are now
safeguarded from incurring unreasonable out-of-pocket expenses, which
can be financially crippling for many families, especially those
struggling to make ends meet while recovering from a major health
issue. o
Repeal of the ACA would leave working
people susceptible to paying unlimited costs for health care. 2.
Putting Money Back into the Pockets of Working People o
Thanks to a provision in the Affordable
Care Act, Americans have already saved $9 billion dollars in the form
of rebates from insurance companies. o
Repeal would take us back to the days
when insurers spent a huge chunk of premiums on CEO bonuses, instead
of working families’ health care. 3.
Enabling Financial Security for Young Workers o
The ACA has made it possible for 6.1
million young adults to obtain or remain on their parents’ health
plans until the age of 26. o
Repeal limits options for young people,
which could put their health, finances, and even their careers at
risk. 4.
Controlling Health Insurance Costs for Working Families o
While the cost of health insurance has
continued to increase, since the enactment of the ACA, the rate of
growth in premiums for job-based coverage has gone up by less than
half the rate that it was before the law was enacted. o
Repeal threatens the progress made in
controlling the cost of health insurance, increasing the number of
uninsured and escalating the cost of uncompensated care. 5.
Creating a Healthier Workforce o
By increasing access to preventive care,
the ACA decreases the likelihood of disability, and individuals who
are healthier enjoy increased productivity on the job, generating
higher incomes for themselves and their families. o
Repeal puts the health of the American
workforce at risk. 6. Helping Working People Afford Coverage o
The ACA Marketplace creates additional
options for workers and their families to afford coverage. It also
encourages job mobility and entrepreneurship. o
Repeal would collapse the Marketplace and
financial assistance for individuals and families, taking away
affordable health care options from workers. Prepared
by the Democratic Staff of the U.S. House Committee on Education and
the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) | February 2017 7.
Improving the Quality of Coverage for Families o
In order to keep people healthier, the
ACA created health care quality improvement programs, including
programs aimed at preventing costly, unnecessary, and avoidable
hospital readmissions. o
Repeal places unnecessary financial
stress on working families by gambling with their health and the
health of their family members. 8.
Creating More Job Flexibility o
Thanks to the ACA, the problem of
“job-lock,” has improved significantly because workers have
health care options outside of their employers through the
Marketplaces. o
Repeal robs workers of the freedom and
flexibility to make choices based on what is best for their careers
and families. 9.
Improving Health Benefits for our Nation’s Coal Miners o
Before the ACA, many deserving miners who
applied for black lung benefits were denied benefits due to the high
burden of proof. o
Repeal jeopardizes the health and
financial benefits owed to ill coal miners and their survivors. 10.
Creating a Better Economy for Working People o
Despite the abundance of doomsday
predictions about the ACA’s impact on jobs and the labor market,
the ACA has had a positive effect on jobs and the economy. o
Repeal threatens jobs in every state and
every Congressional district.

Scott,
Polis Condemn Republican Action to Hurt Students, Schools

WASHINGTON
– Congressmen
Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the Committee on

Education
and the Workforce, and Jared Polis (CO-02), ranking member of the
Early Childhood,

Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee,
issued the following statements after House

Republicans moved to
cancel meaningful rules that would guide states and districts on
how to carry out the accountability provisions of the Every
Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

“Today,
House Republicans are trying to repeal the ESSA regulations that
are supported by state

and district leaders, civil rights groups,
parents and educators,” said Scott. “ESSA allows

unprecedented
state and local flexibility that comes with vital federal
protections for vulnerable

students. Today’s resolution to
disapprove these consensus regulations is a rebuke of the

bipartisan promise we made when President Obama signed the bill
into law. States and districts

need clarity and consistency
provided by regulation to move forward with faithful
implementation

that meets the needs of all students. However, just
yesterday, the Department of Education removed all ESSA technical
assistance for states from being publicly available, and approval
of the resolution will

only leave states and districts further
confused about how to comply with the law’s safeguards.

Despite
the efforts of Congressional Republicans and the Trump
Administration to make implementation of the bipartisan ESSA a
political issue, the Administration must uphold the true
bipartisan intent of

ESSA and the longstanding civil rights legacy
of this landmark law.”

“The
Republicans’ decision to dismantle a key part of the Every
Student Succeeds Act today is

shortsighted, nonsensical, and would
force educators and states to throw out months of hard

work and
replace it with massive uncertainty,” Polis said. “For months,
stakeholders have been

working tirelessly to prepare for
implementation of the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act and

help students achieve. This move undermines all of that work. If
passed, these rule changes would

overturn the final accountability
rules for the Every Student Succeeds Act and could prevent the

Department of Education from writing a much-needed accountability
regulation ever again. It would

leave states and districts blind
to how they should implement this key provision of the law.
Every

educator, parent, student, and anyone who cares about our
public schools and wants to make the

new law work should be deeply
alarmed by House Republicans’ actions today.”

Members
of the Committees on Education and the Workforce and
Transportation and Infrastructure,

respectively, issued the
following statement after the introduction of H.R. 744, the
so-called National Right to Work Act. These committees have
jurisdiction over the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway

Labor Act.

“This
legislation clearly has one purpose: to undermine the capacity of
unions to protect workers

and defund them. This bill is a direct
attack on workers and their families, by weakening unions’

ability to collectively bargain and negotiate for good wages and
benefits. Studies show that

This is
why wages are lower in so-called right to work (RTW) states than
those that are not, costing

families up to thousands of dollars
each year.

“Under
federal law, no one can be forced to join a union as a condition
of employment, and the

Supreme Court has made clear that
workers cannot be forced to pay dues that are used for political

purposes. The RTW bill is a backdoor attempt at bankrupting labor
unions, forcing them to provide

services for people who do not pay
dues.

“Contrary
to proponents’ rhetoric, so-called RTW laws do not have anything
to do with the right to have a job or be provided employment. And
while states are permitted to pass such anti-union legislation,
this radical bill would create an unfunded federal mandate that
overrides a state’s wishes by requiring private labor
organizations to support free riders without limitation. This bill
is nothing more than a gift to anti-worker special interests.”

Congressman
Dwight Evans commentary on The Challenges We Face

As
an American, I am proud to live in a country where liberty, equality
and diversity are core American values -- it’s what our country was
founded on. But for President Trump, that doesn’t look like the
case, and his executive order halting immigrants and refugees from
entering the country is unfathomable.

Yesterday,
acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates stood up to Trump’s
unlawful ban -- and for that she was relieved from her post -- but
she represents the growing sentiment of the American people who are
resisting President Trump’s divisive and un-American orders.

Throughout
American history, our country has opened its arms to those seeking a
better life, refuge, and a new beginning -- we are a country that was
founded by immigrants. So, for President Trump to say no to refugees
and others, means he’s saying no to all Americans -- and like
Sally, I won’t stand by quietly.

This
weekend, I had the honor of standing with Governor Tom Wolf, Mayor
Jim Kenney, Senator Bob Casey, Congressman Robert Brady, and citizens
from across the state at the Philadelphia International Airport to
defend immigrants and refugees from across the world. And together,
citizens and policymakers across the nation are joining forces to
stand up to Trump’s actions.

I
can’t imagine what it would be like after years of completing the
immigration process, traveling thousands of miles to finally be with
family members, only to be detained, held, and turned back. No one
should have to experience this and Trump's order undermines
everything that America stands for as a nation.

We
must not extinguish the hopes of those who wish to seek a better life
and become a citizen, just the same as immigrants and refugees before
them -- and no one should be punished for standing up for them and
our American values. Add your name today:

William
Penn arrived here on a ship called the "Welcome" and
established a colony with the values of tolerance and inclusion as
the keystones to its foundation. He envisioned this land as a place
where families of all faiths could come to create a better future for
their children.

And
the United States, established by the signing of the constitution
here in Pennsylvania, was set up as a country where people could
escape oppression.

So
when members of Dr. Ghassan Assali and Sarmad Assali's family were
denied entry at Philadelphia International Airport because of
President Donald Trump's ban affecting green card holders, refugees,
and visitors from certain Muslim-majority countries, I was outraged.

One
of Mrs. Assali's brothers is a 25-year veteran of the United States
Army. He fought in Desert Storm. Dr. Assali's brother, sister-in-law,
and four other family members worked for an immigration visa for 13
years, and they had finally completed the long journey from Syria.
Dr. Assali and his wife remodeled a house for the six relatives to
move into Saturday, and had been planning a big dinner for the family
in Allentown.

But
on Saturday, President Trump's illegal travel ban caused the six of
them to be sent back on 18-hour flight. Ghassan and Sarmad have done
great things in Allentown for Pennsylvania and I think it's a dark
day for all of us that their family was treated this way by our
government.

This
past weekend, I joined Senator Bob Casey, Congressman Bob Brady,
Congressman Dwight Evans, and thousands of protesters at Philadelphia
International Airport to voice my opposition to the ban. After
hearing about how Dr. Assali's family members were sent back, I met
with his family and held a press conference with them so the world
could hear their story.

Since
then, I've worked with Attorney General Josh Shapiro to fight for the
Assali family and any Pennsylvania families who may be affected.
Attorney General Shapiro has since gotten 16 other attorneys general
from states across the country to sign on to a letter questioning the
constitutionality of what the president did. I applaud Attorney
General Shapiro and his fellow attorneys general.

While
civil rights lawyers around the country have already won victories in
federal court overturning or staying parts of President Trump's
order, this fight isn't over. Too many still face the risk of being
denied entry simply because of their nationality and religion.

We
must reclaim our Pennsylvanian and American values -- and to do that,
I need to you standing with me to oppose President Trump's order. Add
your name to the petition: